Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Sometimes Ya Gotta Bite the Bullet

My quilting shopping list had grown long. Top on it was a new rotary, followed by a cutting mat, and fabric to finish a couple of projects. I know that there may be leftovers, and that is the way it is. After cutting my finger, I found myself almost dreading the wobbly rotary and think my confidence will be restored by using a new one on a new, unbroken mat.

I am a fan of red. However, I made a mistake getting the red with the smaller white dots. It is just too much for the intended quilt. I wanted white with red dots, looked for white with red dots or red anything, and picked this one up. The red with the larger white dots will be the back on the red/white holiday quilt. The red/white pinstripe seen in the back of this pic will be the binding. This makes the quilt reversible so the holiday part of it can flip to the back.Now I need to shop again and get the correct one on my list. I need to learn my lesson and not second-quess myself. I could have come home without it. There are always fabric sales and if I wait long enough, another one will come along. This red/white quilt is the last of the family quilts and doesn't need to ship until Thanksgiving week. There will be time to find that white with a red print on it. This is not beating myself up as much as stating a fact of how it works for people purchasing fabric. Mistakes are often made for a variety of reasons. Key for me is finding a purpose for it all.

The multi-print I bought goes perfectly with the little Block-down-Drag-out quilt. I had a bright teal print on my list and this seemed to be as close as I could get. I am very pleased with it. Quite by accident, the red with white dot looks great with the little quilt top too! I will add it as a final border, and then try to come up with a back using fabrics in the closet. Not sure what will work, but it needs to be colorful. My plan was to donate it to a family fundraiser. My Daughter-in-Law always has something she supports. This will be a stunning quilt when I am finished. I really lucked out with both prints actually working together.This week, I was called to help out with the next Humane Society fundraiser, and bought that pink/heart fleece so I could make some pet beds and use up my scrap slices. I got a yard of it for 70% off, so will make a larger one and two small ones with it. I'll help staff the crafts and bake sale the Saturday before Valentine's Day. These little pet beds are easy enough to make and seem to appeal to the little ones. Oh and I get to make cookies for the bake sale!Its bad enough that I went shopping today and spent a small fortune on things. Scary. I kept telling myself that I was only buying what was on the list and only if it was on sale. I didn't buy everything on my list and walked out of the store blown away by the total cost. I won't go back into town until the Spring Easter sale. By that time, the BOM quilt will be ready for its backing. Maybe I can find that white with red print to finish the setting triangles. There is time. There will be more sales.